The rebuilding Milwaukee Bucks would love to get rid of Myles Turner’s contract, which is regarded as one of the worst in the league. On the flipside, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to seek another big body to bolster their center rotation ahead of the new season.
A new Lakers trade idea can make both things happen.
Lakers Trade Idea Lands Myles Turner
Lakers would receive: Myles Turner
Bucks would receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht
Why the Lakers Do It
The Lakers have several pressing reasons to make a trade like this.
They have 16 players signed to contracts entering the 2026-27 season, meaning a 3-for-1 move trims their roster size to 14. Taking 14 players into the season is a wise move as it’ll help the Lakers maintain some flexibility to pick up a piece off the buyout market.
Secondly, the Lakers could desperately use another center to join the thin rotation of Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney. The two bigs played a grand total of 21 games last season. While Kessler played only five for the Utah Jazz before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, Looney appeared in only 16 games for the Pelicans due to various injuries. It would be a suicide for the Lakers to rely on them completely, especially in a conference dominated by Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama.
Turner will bring a different dynamic to the Lakers. A solid rim protector, he remains as confident as ever with his three-point shot. Even in a down year with the Bucks, he made 2.1 made threes at a clip of 38%. JJ Redick would cherish such a floor-spacing five man next to Luka Doncic, especially one that is athletic enough to catch lobs.
Is the contract a concern? Yes. Turner is owed $29M in age-33 season, which sounds like a risky proposition. However, the Lakers are desperate enough to take the chance.
Why the Bucks Do It
The Bucks are ready to build around Kel’el Ware as their new starting center, making Turner the odd man out.
Furthermore, Turner has not proven to be a good cultural fit with the Bucks. After a highly productive stint with the Indiana Pacers, he averaged his fewest points (11.9), minutes (26.9), rebounds (5.3) and blocks (1.6) since his rookie year in. The big man nearly fell out of Doc Rivers’ rotation at one point, even when Giannis Antetokounmpo was healthy enough to play for his former franchise.
The hypothetical Lakers trade idea allows the Bucks to dump Turner’s contract for three players who won’t hurt their long-term payroll. While Knecht and LaRavia can be waived in a year, Vanderbilt has a manageable $13.2M team option for the 2027-28 season. The Bucks would happy swap that for Turner’s $27.8M salary that year.
The 25-year-old Knecht may also be worth taking a chance on as a prospective member of the Bucks’ young core featuring Ware, Brayden Burries, Nate Ament, Tyler Herro, Ryan Rollins, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and others.
Lakers Trade Pitch Lands Myles Turner in 3-for-1 Haul to Finalize Roster